Claymore 109 Onward
by SCRunnie
Summary: This story starts on Claymore: Chapter 109. I felt that this was a direction the story could go, however, Norihiro Yagi's story is still supreme. In Chapter 108, Miria fought the Organization and was getting slaughtered by #10, Raftela.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Statement**: I do not own any of these characters, the story, or the world that the story takes place in. I write because it is fun and I wish to entertain others with my writing, not to plagiarize.

**Note: **If some wording is in italics, it is either a character's thoughts or a flashback, depending on the length of the italicized passage. At timed, it may be both.

**Preface: **This is one direction the story could take, although Norihiro Yagi's story reigns supreme. Where he takes the story is the actual chronology. The events in this story take place starting with the normal Claymore timeline at chapter 109. I'll summarize the events so far for convenience. Raki has been taken by The Organization after being hit twice by the spears from the Destroyer. I explain the reason for his resilience to its parasitic infestation here. Clare, Priscilla, and the Destroyer have all had their consciousness wrapped up in a blob of yoki that is currently stationed outside of Rabona. Miria has gone on her own to try and crush the Organization when it was seemingly at its weakest point yet; however, she failed to account for Number 10, Raftela. Raftela created a hallucination of Miria's long-dead friend, Hilda. Dazed and confused, Miria was cut down by the Claymores there as a result. Over in Rabona, the Ghosts of the Northern War all decide to find Miria, being unable to believe that she is dead.

Diabolus Liberari

Miria couldn't understand it. She lay there looking up at her dearest friend that she lost so many years ago.

Hilda looked just as Miria remembered her. She had the same feathery hair and wide silver eyes. In her eyes was that same hopeful look, that pillar of innocent optimism that Miria could always look up to.

And yet, here Hilda was, standing over her, her blade thrust through Miria's left belly.

Miria cried out for her friend. She tried to reach out to Hilda, to embrace her, and saw that her hand was gone. The stump of her arm reached, but not nearly far enough. It just stood motionless in the air, blood seeping from the end.

Five of the Organization's warriors stood around Miria in a circle, their behemoth swords raised. A ways back, Rubel gave a slight nod while adjusting his hat.

The Claymores swung.

Right then, something peculiar happened.

The twin in front of Miria fell face-forwards to the ground. Blood ran down her back and dripped on the ground. A short blade stuck out of her lower back shoulder.

Miria couldn't see the other warriors get hit-the blades moved so fast.

From above, a figure in a dark cloak landed in between Miria and the Twin. Miria couldn't see the face, nor could she sense any yoki aura. Yet he moved so fast.

Numbers 5 and 3, Audrey and Rachel, both swung their swords horizontally at the figure. He ducked and their blades collided with a clang. He jumped forward and landed on the two Claymores behind Miria.

After recovering from their daze at being assaulted so quickly, the rest of the warriors around her swiftly moved in on the figure and attacked.

He dodged everything. Every maneuver, every thrust and swing, every counter, he weaved in between the relentless attacks like an artist. Like water, he leaped, ducked, strafed, dodged their perfectly synced attacks.

Into his hand slid a short blade. He moved in on one Claymore at a time. His movements were so elegant. He flew around their attacks and countered at just the right moments. Soon, four Claymores were on the ground, bleeding and unconscious. Only one twin remained, and before long, she joined the rest.

The figure walked over to Miria. She lay to one side, the Twin's giant claymore lodged in her gut. He stooped down low and whispered.

"For such a foolish move, you've done exceptionally well, Phantom. Try not to throw away your life so rashly in the future." With one fluid movement, he slid the sword out of her abdomen. He gently scooped her up and began walking.

Miria unsuccessfully tried to get a good look at his face as he walked. He definitely was male, a solid build, and was definitely not struggling to carry her 160 lb. body.

He continued on past the tree line.

"Who..." she muttered. She lost consciousness before she could finish.

* * *

Miria awoke in a cave with a fire in front of her. Her armor plates was stacked in the corner next to her claymore. Her arm was reattached, and her cuts and gashes were bandaged.

She lay on a thick, brown cloak, and when she tried to move, she felt a sharp pain in her side and back.

She lay gazing at the fire for a few moments, and she heard footsteps.

"Good to see you up," he said. "Don't try moving; your body is fragile enough as is without you re-opening your wounds." He dropped a stack of wood he was carrying next to the fire and sat down across from her. He was slender and carried himself with an elegant demeanor, but Miria sensed something strange, almost dark about him. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

His black hood still covered most of his recognizable face. Only his mouth was visible. Even so, Miria could feel his eyes gazing over her, peering from the blackness that surrounded them.

Miria just stared back at him. _Why? How?_

"The rest of the Ghosts are looking for you. They're about three days out. I suppose we'll have to meet up with them soon," he said. He did not look up; rather, he simply stared at the fire.

"My name is Hadrian," he said. Miria finally spoke.

"How...? You moved faster than most Claymores, even awakened beings. And I don't sense any yoki aura coming from you. There's no way you should be able to move that fast."

Hadrian quietly chuckled.

"Lots of training. There's not much to tell right now, not when you are in this fragile of a state. Suffice to say that I have honed my skills over a very long living, and now that I know your purpose, that I am here to lend aid. You have nothing to fear from me, Miria." He gave a faint smile. "For now, focus on regeneration and rest, otherwise your friends will pass us."

She began to speak again, but he held up a halting hand.

"Trust me; everything you want to know will be revealed to you in time. Rest and heal up. We'll have to meet up with them in a day or two."

Miria couldn't find sleep, not while he was there. She sensed something extraordinary about him. He had no yoki aura, as far as she could tell. Still, in the few minutes she had been conscious around him, she felt something different about him.  
It was unlike anything she had sensed before. He felt aged and powerful, almost like an Abyssal one, but without the chilling feeling that went with them, that sickening dread. He gave off something distinctly different. She couldn't place her finger on it, but she knew his power was extraordinary.

Eventually the dull pain in her side got to her, and she had to focus down the cuts and lacerations. She closed her eyes, focusing on her yoki aura.

She was really cut up. The bandages had stopped the bleeding; still, the wounds were still there. Several gashes on her arms revealed themselves, not to mention five or so breaches on her back. Then there was the giant hole in her gut from the twin's claymore.

Miria healed the main breach in her stomach and a few of the minor injuries, but that took all the effort she could muster. She fell asleep after a few moments.

* * *

Deneve had been walking for two days alongside the other five: Helen, Yuma, Tabitha, Dietrich, Cynthia. By now, she could feel the fatigue start to settle in. Her legs ached, and her feet felt flat and trodden by the ground.

But none of it showed on her face. She stared straight ahead, always looking toward her goal: right now, finding Captain Miria.

They trudged on, focused on moving west but still wary; the Organization's warriors could be anywhere in this region. They continued for several hours. Helen spoke first.

"Can we stop? My feet are killing me. And I'm completely starved," she said as they came to a small clearing in the woods.

"We stop here," Deneve said; she heard a few sighs of relief behind her. They all dispersed around the clearing, claiming their stakes with their armor and swords. All of a sudden, Tabitha stopped mid-step.

She closed her eyes and kneeled.

"I think I can sense Miria's yoki," she said.

"Are you sure? Galatea said that she was dead, and she's not usually wrong," Helen said.

"Yes, I'm sure of it; she's several miles south. Her yoki is very weak. That's why I couldn't sense it before."

"Why the hell would Miria be so far from the Organization's headquarters? I thought she was out for blood," Helen said.

"Could the Organization have taken her?" Cynthia pondered.

"Miria wouldn't let the Organization take her captive; she'd die first," Deneve assertively said. "Something else must've happened. If you're sure, Tabitha, we move in Miria's direction tomorrow. Don't lose her trail by morning. We leave at dawn."  
They all continued setting up camp, and soon most were sleeping in that signature claymore-chair position. After a few minutes, Helen walked over to Deneve and sat down.

"Do you think Miria was taken?" she whispered.

"Possibly. Galatea couldn't sense her yoki and Tabitha only caught it by chance. The fact that Miria's yoki is sensible tells me that she's too weak or wounded to suppress it. And that scares me."

"I don't know; God, Miria, why do you do stupid shit like this? What's going on inside your head?" Helen looked down and put her hand to her head as if it hurt.

"Don't worry about it now. Just get some rest and we'll find them tomorrow."

Helen got up, nodded quietly, and walked over to her sword. Deneve sat there starring into the darkness of the forest.

* * *

The fire had gone out by the time Miria got up. A quick look around the cave revealed her solitude.

She sat up and found that her back pain was much less intense. She walked outside.

She took a deep breath that was rich with moisture and crisp freshness. _This is a truly beautiful land_, she thought. _Too bad it is infested with the Organization_.

The trees were as green as ever, their perfectly spread out boughs dawning the evergreen thistles that were so richly green. The trunks stood as pillars holding up the beauty of their branches.

The sun's light shined brightly though the branches and leafs. Light shadows danced around the ground where the sunlight hit.

"Good, you're up and you can move." Miria jolted as Hadrian ambled up behind her. _I hate this-he's too quiet and I can't sense him._

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Truthfully, she had all sorts of numb pain spread out evenly through her arms and legs. "When do we leave?"

"Relax, Miria; we'll see them soon. They're on their way here as we speak. I'm guessing someone sensed you from there-probably Tabitha, right?"

"Y- yes. She has been honing her ability to sense yoki aura for years now. How do you know so much about us?"

"I've been watching your group for some time now. The battle at Pieta was not an easy thing to miss, and even though you all hide your yoki extremely well, you somehow manage to leave a path of chaos and destruction behind you."

He looked back at Miria to see that she was not looking at him. She faced east with her eyes closed and head lowered.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I sense some very strong yoki auras-not any friends of mine."

"Ah, so you can sense the awakened beings that the Organization released. They've been tracking us for a days now. I have little doubt that your little display out there provoked them. Although we should consider ourselves lucky that the Organization has not released their deadliest servants."

"What are you talking about? Deadliest servants? More than the Abyss Feeders?"

"Yes. The Organization is likely saving them as a trump card."

"Obviously, but for what? And what are they?"

"In due time. We-"

"_Tell me._"

Hadrian let a slight sigh out. "Well, I suppose we have the time for it, don't we?"

_When the Organization first began as an alchemy and science division for the western kingdom on the main continent, they were even less ethical than they are today. The sick experiments that they performed on young children in the hopes of creating a soldier able to match the descendents of dragons were without number. Their desperate situation led them to create the Claymore, and eventually, the awakened being. _

_ Awakened beings were the perfect counter to these dragons, as long as they awoke at the right time against the right enemy. Their unstable nature was really making the entire project costly. They came to this island and made it a testing ground for awakened beings. But you know all this._

_ In the early attempts to create a controllable awakened being, the Organization tried breeding Claymores. For the females involved, the process was closer to rape than intercourse. They would kill the males afterwards to ensure they didn't pursue their newfound sex drive. Pregnancy lasted any time from two months to fourteen months. It depended simply on the power of the parents. _

_ The entire process was very chaotic. Often, Claymores would give birth just a few minutes after going into labor. After births, the Organization would take the children from the mothers, who were usually executed within a few days. Sometimes, over-protective Claymore mothers would be slaughtered trying to keep their children from the Organization. _

_ It was in these experiments that the Organization created their most monstrous creation to date. In most cases, the children grew up as normal Claymores and nothing more-a disappointment, but useful, nonetheless. In a few instances, the Organization bred high-ranking Claymores, single digits. In contrast to the normal births, these children awoke mid-birth. All that yoki aura concentrated into a single, little frail body was too much for most infants to handle._

_ The baby awakened beings the Organization didn't kill were kept in their headquarters. You may have heard of the catacombs beneath their complex; most of the children were kept in the lowest recesses of those. If by mere chance, a child got out of hand, all the Organization had to do was collapse the tunnels and the child would be crushed._

"To my knowledge, they've never had to do that yet, which means that the little beasts borne out of the most powerful sentient beings in the world are still alive. If this is the case, they are controlled by the Organization," Hadrian speculated.

"Why haven't I heard about this? I spend plenty of time learning of the Organization's past."

"While you did some solid work, Miria, this is the Organization's most well-kept secret. Not even all of their inner-council members know about this."

Miria stood there in silence with her head bowed.

"The awakened beings are getting closer," she muttered.

"And we best leave before they get here. You best be putting on your armor-you'll need it."

Hadrian gestured towards her armor. "Deneve and those with her do not stand the slightest chance against what is headed towards them. Our presence is masked well enough, but as long as the Ghosts have Dietrich with them, they are a target."

"Why would they allow Dietrich to follow them? And how do you know that she is?"

"Call it instinct. I suspect, Miria, that you'll get to be the hero in our next engagement. Now we must move."

* * *

The wind blew. It weaved around the ground and terrain like water in the ocean. The noon sun rested, suspended in the sky. The ground shook. Shrubs low to the ground rustled with each tremor. The evergreen boughs swayed in sync with each other as if in a dance. And six half-yoma warriors stood surrounded by 13 high level awakened beings.

"Check your sides! Watch for flank attacks!" Deneve shouted. Two of the awakened lunged at her with full force from both sides. Deneve jumped vertically to come face to face with another awakened being. He threw his arm out at her; its fingers stretched in the same way Deneve had seen Priscilla's did.

Right then, a sword barreled in between Deneve and her foe and shredded his hand into four pieces. He let out an ear-shattering shriek of pain. It was Dietrich.

Both her and Deneve landed to the right of the three awakened beings. Deneve charged straight for the wounded one with both her blades aimed. She sliced both arms off while Dietrich went for the head. As the being fell, Deneve looked back at the rest of the battlefield.

That morning as they were all preparing to move out, 20 awakened beings had attacked. These ones hid their yoki auras so well that not even Tabitha, The Dark Silver Eye, could sense them coming.

Things were not going well.

Yuma and Cynthia were down; Tabitha had to pull them off in the cover of the trees. Helen was trying to hold off seven beings on her own and getting mauled by their combined efforts.

_Damn. These awakened beings are far more powerful than any other group that I've encountered. We didn't even sense them coming. Now I know how Miria felt during the War in the North._

One of them got a hold of Helen and threw her. She catapulted to the ground and didn't give any indication of getting up.

"Dietrich-get Helen! I'll cover you," Deneve shouted. Both of them flew towards Helen. Deneve moved forward and engaged the awakened beings Helen was fighting. Dietrich grabbed Helen by the waist and sprinted to where Tabitha had the others.

Deneve did her best to fight the awakened beings, but it was simply not enough. Their attacks were too well synced for her to make any dent in their defense. Soon she was on her knees. Blood dripped from her forehead and right ribs. One awakened being stampeded toward her-she leapt back just in time to see the ground where she was splinter and shatter.

She ran back to the others. Cynthia had gained consciousness and was kneeling over Helen and Yuma, heeling their wounds.

"Deneve, we've got to run. There are way too many of them for us to take on at once," Tabitha said. She sat leaning against a tree trunk with her head back.

"Yes, we do. Cynthia, you take Yuma, and Tabitha, you take Helen. Me and Dietrich will stay and slow them down as much as we can. Hopefully-"

_Boom._

The awakened beings closed in on the group. There were 12 left, and they were huge. Most of the beings that fought in the War in the North were around 40 feet tall, while the smallest present was a lumbering 65 feet tall.

The beings circled the six of them; likewise, the conscious warriors formed a protective circle around the unconscious.

"Deneve...? What do we do?" Tabitha shivered.

"Hold the line. This will not be our end."

Then one of the larger beasts spoke.

"Empty words, half-breed. We'll enjoy gutting your bodies after we've brought them to the Organization."

"What? You work for the Organization?" Cynthia blurted.

"This shouldn't come as a surprise, Cynthia. The attack on Rabona was also the Organization's handiwork too," Deneve answered. "Nonetheless, we will not die here."

The outer circle of awakened beings became tighter and tighter while the inner circle of warriors charged.

* * *

Miria stood at the top of a ridge looking down on the massacre below. _Even after training for seven years, we can't even hold against one of the Organization's first retaliations. Damn._

"You attack frontally. I'll provide support from the flanks. You won't be able to see me, but know that I am there." Hadrian stood a few feet behind her with his dark cloak still covering the majority of his face.

"How can you hope to make a difference in the battle if you're barely involved?"

"You'd be surprised. If you do see me, however, run. No matter where or whatever the circumstances, run. Get everybody out of there."

"Why?"

"You'll see if it happens. Go."

With that, Miria dropped down from the ridge and sprinted for the awakened beings. She approached one that looked like a large lizard with eight arms. He turned as she approached and lifted three of his right arms to swing.

Miria used her mirage ability to get closer to his head, catapulting herself upward. She took a qui ck glance around her to realize that four of the other beings were moving in to surround her while the rest closed in on the other group. _Just as long as I can distract them from the others. But how long will I last against these? she thought. _

Right then, a squeal came from the back of the awakened beings. Everyone on the field turned their head to see the rustle of a few trees.

"What the-" one awakened being started to say. He didn't finish. No one looked fast enough to see where he went.

Suddenly, the first awakened being to disappear reappeared. He leapt out of the trees and landed about six feet from the tree line. A tangled web of black tentacles followed him. They latched onto his shoulders and pulled him back towards the trees. The tentacles were liquid in substance, and they shined like oil. Yet, they still retained some sort of form that morphed and mutated. The awakened being cried and screamed for his allies to aid him.

"Help! Get it off me! It burns!"

No one budged. All looked in shock as something bigger, meaner, scarier than a handful of the most powerful awakened beings dragged one of them into its clutches.

Miria seized the moment first. She pounced on an awakened being's shoulder and drove her sword through its temple. She leapt off the falling corpse and landed next to Deneve.

"Miria, good to see you alive."

"It's good to see you too, Deneve. Now's not the time for reunions. Go for the sides and fronts. Don't take any unnecessary risks; we have support this time."

"Speaking of which, what _is_ that thing in the trees?"

"I have no idea. Just trust that it's on our side. I think."

The slaughter began. Claymore blades slashed through flesh. Blood sprayed in all directions. Every now and then, a few tentacles would reach out from the trees and wrap around an awakened being's limb, slowly dragging it away from the battle.

Within a few minutes, only pieces of awakened being were left. The warriors were mostly unscathed, without any gaping wounds or deep cuts. They all grouped together.

Helen and Yuma had regained consciousness during the battle. Cynthia began to work on healing the others.

Miria walked towards the trees. Hadrian had not come out of the forest; Miria had no doubt that the tentacles were his. If this was the case, he was definitely an awakened being. And that scared her to no end.

"Hadrian! Where are you?"

"Wait. Do not go any further, Miria. I'll be there in a few minutes.

_I am sick of all the mystery. If he's an awakened being, now's the time to find out_. She continued forward.

"Miria, STOP." His voice was deeper, fiendish, macabre.

Miria kept walking. Here lay an awakened being, his arm dislodged and bent in unnatural angles. There were littered pieces of awakened limbs in the trees, and blood splatter was all over the place. One awakened being lay on top of a freshly broken log next to a splintered tree stump as if he was thrown into it. She walked in between two arching trees; to her right stood Hadrian, facing away. He didn't look back at Miria.

"I said stay there. You of all people should know that some commands cannot be explained or disobeyed. Go back, Miria. I'll be there soon."

"If you think this artifice of playing the 'mysterious figure in black' is going to work, think again, Hadrian. If you are going to prove to be a threat to any of them out there, I'd rather find out now."

A deep chuckle came from him.

"Threat?" he said. "Artifice?" His voice was not the one Miria knew. It was deep, but not rich. It was liquid, but not smooth. It was strong, but sinister.

He seemed to grow in size as the light around them dimmed. His shadow grew larger and larger, and he seemed to blend with it, all one darkness. He glanced back, and Miria could see his cheek; his hood still cast a shadow over his eyes. His white cheeks had black cracks running across them.

"You have no idea what true threat is. I have traversed the very depths of the Organization's dungeons. I have fought beasts that have slaughtered kingdoms. You cannot imagine what I have seen in my lifetime, and you cannot understand until you see it for yourself. Leave me. Now."

Miria didn't back down one step.

"You think to scare me away in that form? If you wished us dead, you would have done so already, so don't try to make me believe that you'll kill us here. It won't work."

"A strong display of courage-something I'd expect from you." His figure shrank back to normal. The light flowed back through the trees. He turned around completely, and Miria could see no distortion in his visible face. She still wondered at what he looked like, though. He wore that hood constantly, always had that shroud over his eyes. She'd find out eventually.

"Now come out and tell us who you really are. After your little display right there, there's not much getting out of this one."  
Hadrian stood there in silence, pondering over the situation. He spoke after a minute or so.

"Very well. Now that most of us are gathered together, the timing is right." He followed Miria back to the clearing.

"Miria, what the hell was that?" For the first time in a long while, Deneve's voice was filled with concern and fear.

"You'll find out. Hadrian, explain yourself."

The warriors gathered in a semicircle. Hadrian told them what he told Miria, about the offspring of Claymore parents. Dietrich listened intently, the disbelief on her face turning into hurt and shock as the conversation continued on.

"Remember how I told you that the children that didn't awake were nothing out of the ordinary? Offspring would be trained as Claymores and would be no more powerful than the conventional Claymore."

"Yes. You said that they were a disappointment. What about it?" Miria said.

"That was all true, save once. A three-year-old child that had not awakened was being brought up by the Organization. The man in charge of him got careless one day, and he happened to awaken. After killing him, he found his way out of the training facility and escaped into the wilderness. He wandered around the continent, eating whatever he pleased, killing whoever he needed. He grew up and eventually learned, as all awakened beings do, to keep a low profile."

"Was that you?" Helen interrupted.

"That was what became me." He lifted back his hood and unveiled his silver eyes and bleach-blonde hair. Everybody took a half-step back in shock. Miria gazed at him.

His hair was medium-length and parted down the middle. Locks of straight hair flowed past and around his ears and halfway down his neck.

His eyes were silver, but they weren't radiant like the Claymore's eyes. They were faded, tarnished, old. Miria looked right into his eyes and saw his age, that he was indeed old. His eyes spoke of sorrow, regret and knowledge, but when Miria saw his eyes, she felt a soothing feeling of hope and conviction.

"What the- how? It's impossible to go back once you've awakened completely. Let alone for an infant." Helen's voice shook with stupefaction.

"How would you know? Who told you? The Organization? They would have you believe that it is over once you've awakened. Think of how many deaths could have been averted by that knowledge, how many unnecessary executions, how much pain.

"No, it is very possible to revert back completely. I was many years older when I found the strength to revert back. It takes incredible amounts of focus and self-control. Most beings awaken and either revel in it or give up all hope of ever going back. I tell you now: if you want to revert back enough, you can." His voice rung with the conviction that moved mountains.

"Why wasn't I able to sense you even when I was right next to you?" Miria asked. "Yet, you knew exactly where those awakened beings were. You knew where everyone here was. How?"

"Age. Yoki suppression and sensing ability grow with time. Some prodigies like Galatea and Cynthia possess unusual yoki-sensing abilities at a very young age, but the truth is that anyone can match or exceed their ability with time. As far as I know, relatively few have been able to match my skill at hiding their yoki auras, including the former number 5, Rafaela, and former number 2, Priscilla."

"That still doesn't explain the black tentacles that came out of the forest. I'm assuming that was you," Deneve said.

"Half-awakening gives you amazing control of your yoki powers, yes? You can heal at incredible speed, Deneve. And you, Miria, can move in short bursts of unusually high speed. Helen, you can stretch your limbs more than any Claymore alive. Imagine everything you could do fully awakened."

"Wait, are you suggesting that we try and awaken?" Helen sounded shocked.

"No, I wouldn't recommend it," he said. "Besides having a variety of other drawbacks, the last one to have enough self-control to revert awakened was Jean, former number 9."

All but Dietrich looked down for a moment in silence. She spoke first.

"She's dead, isn't she?" she asked.

"Yes. To save another from a fate worse than death, or so we believed," Miria said.

"Speaking of which, where is Clare? I expected her to be with you all," Hadrian inquired. Miria looked at Deneve for an answer; Helen spoke for her.

"She's... trapped. When the combined consciousness of Raphaela and Luciela retracted into a small... pile of yoki, Clare was trapped. We were going to figure out what to do when we got back."  
"Well, we have no time to lose. Let's get back to Rabona." Deneve sounded almost anxious.

"Wait," Dietrich said. "I haven't been able to see any proof of any of your accusations against the Organization. How can I trust any of you? How do you know that those awakened beings were not just a wandering group?"

"You know full well that awakened beings never group together unless gathered by someone more powerful than them," Deneve responded. "Considering that all Abyssal ones are dead, there's little room for doubt that these were sent from the Organization. if you doubt me, draw your sword here and now, just like I promised; let's settle this."

Dietrich simply stood there and lowered her head.

"Yes, it's a shattering revelation, isn't it?" Miria walked over to Dietrich and rested her hand on her shoulder. "Everything you have come to know and trust shattered in such a short time." A pair of tears slid down Dietrich's face.

"Just make sure what you're telling me is true," she sniveled.

"You have everyone here's word that it is."

Dietrich looked up with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"Alright. Let's go back to Rabona."

With that, they all started off back towards the Holy City.

* * *

Rubel wasn't scared in the slightest by Hadrian, but he was curious as to why he would go to such lengths to save Miria. Why would he reveal himself now? What are his goals? Does he intent to take on the Organization now? Is he after Priscilla? So many questions.

He sat pondering on a log on a plateau overlooking Rabona. The city lacked much of its former glory; the recent awakened being invasion didn't do wonders for the architecture.

His mind drifted to when he first saw Hadrian, so long ago.

_He was just a boy then, a toddler. The boy had just learned to walk and was moving around the training area pointing at things, trying to say what they were. He wandered a little too far._

_ His trainers lost track of him. I simply watched from the sidelines when they found him; they beat him, yelled at him. One smacked him in the forehead. Then the other brought his fist down on the little one's shoulder. Superiors said this was supposed to strengthen the boy, make him tough when he fought awakened beings. _

_ Maybe it was too much for the little one, or maybe his time had come. He started shrieking and thrashing about. His screams echoed down the corridors. He were so loud, most nearby cringed to the floor covering their bleeding ears. Then his body awakened._

_ His hands melted into a gooey, waxy substance, shortly to be followed by his feet. His arms liquefied, then his legs, then his torso. Finally his head. His mouth continued releasing cries and screams until it, too, melted away into the pool. All that lay there, the remains of an abused three-year-old, was a puddle of yoki aura. _

_ The screaming had stopped. Trainees and their masters had gotten up and moved slowly towards the puddle. One trainer approached the puddle, was just a couple steps away. The puddle shuddered; ripples moved across it here and there. The ripples moved in sync, giving shape to the creature. _

_ Finally a black tentacle emerged from center of the pool. It extended itself upward until it reached the low ceiling. It took a sharp turn and wrapped itself around the unlucky trainer's leg and yanked.  
A mouth opened up at one end of the pool. It was wide and smiling. It had layers of thickset sharp teeth on the top and bottom. It opened wide as the tentacle holding the trainer brought him by his leg closer to the jaws. The tentacle loosened, the man dropped, and the jaws chomped._

_ The teeth closed around the man's waist as he was only halfway engulfed in the blackness of the mouth. Several bones broke and splintered. _

_ They chomped again, this time over his knees. The feet were cut off by this bite, causing a wonderful mess as blood splattered and flooded into the pool of yoki aura. _

_ All this time, nobody dared to move. All that weren't frozen in interest were frozen in fear. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the toddler-turned-monster that just ate a full-grown adult. Someone scuffed their foot, and the puddle shot up and took definite shape. It looked like a lizard standing on its hind legs, but Hadrian's form never stayed the same. It flowed and shifted, distorting its shape from one area of his body to the next. In truth, it was only four feet tall, but his figure seemed to grow, to tower over everything and everyone in the room. The lights, faint already as they were, seemed to dim. The entire room seemed to shrink while he seemed to engulf all space around him. _

_ Then he started forward. He took one step, then two, then three. He gradually picked up speed going straight down the corridor. Everybody there stepped aside. They all knew none of them could fight an awakened being like this here, in this confined space. There was no way. Hadrian kept walking past them all, and was never seen by any of the Organization for 800 years._

_ What a time that was_. Rubel laughed to himself as he thought about the power Hadrian must possess at this point. Even when he saved Miria, he displayed speed and stamina that outmatched several of the most powerful human warriors the Organization had to offer. Doubtless, that was only a fraction of his true potential. Nonetheless, the fact that he is able to revert back from being completely awakened is by far the most interesting of all.

Rubel would find out soon enough just how interesting Hadrian was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Aqua Sanguine**

Galatea stood on the city wall facing east, pondering over the clump of yoki aura, the time bomb, planted just a few miles outside Rabona. She wondered how something as destructive as the Destroyer, the combined consciousness of two of the most powerful fighters in the world, could have imploded like it did. She wondered what kind of force would draw the Destroyer away from its path of destruction, how powerful that force must be. Galatea's mind gravitated to what Helen told her, that in this... thing... was the consciousness of Clare and an awakened being. Apparently the awakened being had one horn and was able to draw the Destroyer back.

"It's too much to think about. Hopefully when the rest get back we'll-"

Right on cue, she stopped, sensing not seven, but eight yoki auras heading towards the city. Seven of them she recognized; there was no doubt in her mind the six that left had found Miria.

The eighth, however, was something different altogether. It didn't hold any recognizable shape. It shifted and morphed, bent and twisted, flowed and evolved, almost like water.

And it was faint. Galatea almost didn't sense it; it was one of the most well-hidden yoki auras she had ever sensed. In her Claymore days, there's no way she would have caught it.

She walked down to the city gate, then out to the woods to where the body mass containing the Destroyer, Clare, and Priscilla was. She leaned against a tree and carefully focused on the mass.

She slowly felt out Clare's aura, careful not to release the beings held in the mass. She felt the unstable focus of Clare's yoki aura, the contained explosiveness that epitomized every essence of Clare's being.

Again, she was interrupted when she sensed Priscilla's aura and its immense power. She gasped at the calm of it all. Priscilla's aura felt like a calm ocean, so large and immense, holding prodigious power, yet calm at most times.

Galatea shuddered at the thought of Priscilla fighting with all her strength. Galatea had been in the presence of two creatures of the abyss, who possessed enough power to sicken her. And yet, before her lay the hibernating aura of one vastly more powerful than those three.

She lowered her head in solemn adherence to the fact that she would have little impact on future events. She could not hope to even slow the power in front of her, let alone the Organization's various collection of trump cards. In fact, with the meager forces Miria had gathered up, there was no hope of ever prevailing against the Organization. This rebellion was doomed from the start.

Galatea shook of these thoughts of despair and thought back to the eighth yoki aura she had sensed, the liquid one. Right now, this puzzled her more than anything. She walked back to the city thinking about who or what it could be.

* * *

"Rabona-the Holy City," Hadrian spoke aloud. "It has been a long time since I've been here; the last time, I was almost discovered and had to leave quickly."

"Oh yeah? When was that?" Helen asked.

"Four hundred years ago. The city's changed since then."

Helen stopped and looked back with her eyes wide and mouth open.

"Four _hundred_? Just how old are you, exactly?"

"I've been alive since the Organization was a group of alchemists sitting around a table trying to figure out what a yoma is. 948 years." Now everyone stopped.

"So that's what you meant by 'a very long living,'" Miria insinuated. "You've been alive longer than all three of the abyssal ones were. You've had more time to hone your fighting ability, more time to suppress your yoki, more time to observe everything the Organization has done."

"Only too true," Hadrian said as they passed under the east city gate. "Now, where is Clare?"

"A couple miles west. We'll get to her eventually. For now, we need to check in with Galatea," Miria commanded.

They all walked to the chapel where Galatea was teaching.

"You keep some curious company, Miria. First a warrior of the Organization, now an awakened being," Galatea greeted them. Hadrian kept his hood on.

"Hello, Galatea. Good to see you still alive," Miria responded.

"Me more than you. Now there must be a reason for your traveling with an awakened being, Miria. I'll assume there are some mutual goals involved?"

"God-Eye Galatea," Hadrian nonchalantly said. "you keep yourself well hidden, and especially in a holy city. However, you would do well not to assume the yoki presence of certain individuals. I would show you my physical appearance for you to be sure, but as it is..."

Galatea smirked.

"Well then, who are you, if not an awakened being?"

"Someone like you, a victim of the Organization. That's one-"

"We can discuss it on the way to Clare," Miria interrupted. They all turned and walked west.

Despite Miria's suggestion, they all walked in silence. Hadrian was content to stare at the ground ahead of him, conscious always of any possible dangers around him. Awakened beings could come up out of nowhere these days.

_The civilians don't even notice us. Eight women carrying giant swords and a male Claymore, and they barely stop to blink_, Hadrian thought. _Galatea's presence must have calmed any rumors or suspicions about the Claymore in the citizen's minds. _

They passed under the east gate. Galatea stopped and signaled all to do the same.

"Before we go any further, I wish to warn all of you: there is quite possibly _the_ most powerful awakened being to ever live trapped in the yoki mass with Clare. If any of you are not prepared to die in case of an accidental awakening of the mass, you best get as far away as you can."

Deneve glanced at each one around her.

"We took on that risk when we went to find Miria."

"Very well. Let's-"

"The most powerful awakened being? Who might that be?" Hadrian interrupted.

"A one-horned awakened being. We're not sure what her name or former rank was, but she was the one to ward off the destroyer. At that level of power, does it even matter?" Deneve answered.

"I see. And she's trapped in this... mass? With Clare?"

"Yes. That is why the situation is so volatile and why we need to resolve it quickly. We do not want to leave Clare trapped in there with those things, but we cannot afford releasing them either," Deneve said.

They reached the yoki mass. Every female in the group held a face of disgust, each of them sneering at the mass. Hadrian had a fixed gaze upon it.

"Well, Galatea, what do you suggest?" Miria asked. She and Hadrian were the only ones that hadn't seen it yet.

"There is no solution I have been able to come up with that would not involve releasing all three beings inside at once."

"There must be _some_ way. There is; we just have to find it," Deneve asserted.

"There _is_ a way," Hadrian spoke up. "I can do this. I can get inside this thing and bring Clare out."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Galatea, sense my yoki. You know it is very similar to this thing's aura. I can mesh with it easily; logic dictates I can also part with it easily."

"Right. How would you even go about that?" Helen asked.

"He would have to awaken," Miria solemnly said. "You can liquefy a body part here or there, but you can't completely without fully awakening, can't you?"

Hadrian lowered his head and stared at the ground for a moment.

"No. I can't release them without awakening. Fortunately, though, I'm the only one among us who has successfully reversed the awakening process after its completion. It's the most logical decision to let me do it."

"We can't afford that risk, Hadrian. Of all of us, you should know best the destructive power of the Destroyer and Priscilla. You claim you've seen destruction that none of us can fathom, so the unbridled power of this mass should be all too familiar to you."

"Miria, this is a simple matter. Getting Clare out is our top priority. She WILL make the difference in fighting the Organization, Miria. You must be able to see this."

"No." Miria harshly said. "It's far too much risk. If you cannot come back or you accidentally release Priscilla, it will matter little that Clare is released. We find another course of action."

"Then you will die. The Organization will overrun us, and all the people of Rabona will be killed. Think, Miria. You have a responsibility not only to each half-breed here, but also the entire city. Their blood will be on your hands. Your-"

"That's enough. We will find some other way. Right now, this matter is closed. We will have neither you nor this mass awakening. That's final. And you will not touch this thing."

Hadrian took a deep breath.

"Well, I can see your mind won't be changed." He turned and walked back to the city.

Miria turned to the others when Hadrian was out of earshot.

"The mass is to be on 24-hour watch until we decide what to do with it. We'll take turns. Helen, Cynthia, you two are first. Two of us will relieve you in four hours." With that, she turned and walked to Rabona with Deneve, Tabitha, Yuma, and Galatea.

* * *

Once they passed the city gate, Galatea signaled Miria aside. They turned at a secluded-looking side street.

"Tell me, Miria, how much do you know about our new friend, besides what he told you himself?"

"Not much. You know something, Galatea?" They kept on walking.

"Nothing for certain, although there is an old story I think I should tell you. Most Claymore's dismiss it as myth, but in light of recent developments, there may be some truth to it."

"I'm listening."

"About a half century ago, a great hunt was put together by the Organization. Five single digits along with several powerful Claymores were assembled into a team designed to kill an ancient awakened being. They hunted him for months, carefully searching every town and village for signs of an awakened being.

"It was only a matter of time before they found him. He fought back and managed to kill half a dozen of them, but they eventually wore him down. He fled into the woods faster than the Claymores could track them.

"The group checked around the town for any sign as to where he would have gone when the group's eye sensed another yoki aura. They tracked it down and were shocked at what they found-a child. She gave off only the slightest yoki aura. Her mother was with her.

"They took the child, fearing the worst. And their fears were realized. The child was the offspring of the awakened being. She was 25% yoma, much like Clare, only her ability was naturally integrated into her genetic code."

"How does Hadrian relate to this?"

"It was reported that the awakened being had a distinctly different yoki aura. The records speak of it as 'liquid,' or constantly 'flowing.'"

Miria stopped. She stared at the ground for a brief second then slowly looked at Miria.

"That's... interesting. The chances of it being a coincidence are slim. If the story is accurate, then not only are we dealing with a superiorly powerful awakened being, but also with a father. Do you know what happened to the daughter? Or the mother?"

"The mother was killed. The daughter drops off the map at that point. If anybody knows where the girl is, they didn't put it into the Organization's records."

Miria stood there wide eyed, mouth open.

"That's the story, at any rate. I simply thought you should know," Galatea said with a smile. She turned and walked to the main boulevard several feet further. Miria remained where she was, completely flabbergasted at the news.

* * *

"So, have you seriously lived 950 years or however long you said?" Helen eyed Hadrian curiously as she sat across the table in the alehouse.

"Why would I lie? I've got nothing to hide," Hadrian said. He slouched in his seat with his ale in front of him. His unfocused gaze wandered around in front of him.

"Wow-900 years... Were you ever given a nickname as a Claymore?"

"No. I never served the Organization. I awoke at an extremely young age. Since then, the Organization has been no friend of mine."

"Did they hunt you?"

"Several times. For a while, I came close to dying quite often. They sent dozens of Claymores after me. At first, I killed them; I was scarcely 20 years old when they first sent a group after me. What did I know?

"After a while, though, the constant killing took its toll. I realized the Claymores were simply tools created by the Organization, just as I was."

"You mean as an awakened being, you felt pity for us? I didn't think that was possible." Hadrian chuckled a bit as Helen said that.

"Yes, I felt pity. The only difference between your average Claymore and awakened being is the awakened being has a measure of freedom. Either by force or by choice, awakened beings must live free from obligation, from superiors, from anything, and just as any other human has, they have to choose what to do with that freedom. They can gorge themselves on desires and hungers, or they can try and live some sort of faintly normal life."

"What about your hunger? You still had an appetite for guts."

"True, but a hunger is simply that-a hunger. It was my choice as to whether I ate or not. Granted, I continued to feast on innards for years after my initial awakening. Nonetheless, I stopped killing, and no matter how many Claymores they sent after me, not one has died by my hand since."

"Wow. You must have hidden yourself well. Amazing," Helen said in her usual sarcastic voice. It was hard to tell when she was actually being sarcastic-she used it so much.

"And you should find some pity in your heart for awakened beings." Helen laughed at the thought.

"What? You must be joking. Feel pity for those monsters that kill whoever gets in their way? Who killed my friends at Pieta? Right."

"Take it from one who's been in their position. Perhaps not all of them deserve pity, but most of them do. How are they different from you? If all Claymores craved innards, it wouldn't be long before someone had their guts feasted on. They fight who they have to simply to survive. Put yourself in their position. You'll find yourself not to be very different." Now Helen was agitated.

"What? No, there is nothing we have in common with those freaks. I gag at the thought of eating human flesh! There is no way I am like them."

"I guess not," Hadrian chortled.

As he said that, the door swung open and in came Deneve and Miria. They walked over and sat down next to Helen and Hadrian.

"Ah, the Captain and her Lieutenant. What can I do for you?" Hadrian asked. Miria responded the second he finished.

"You can tell us who you really are." Miria sounded more authoritative than usual.

"I'm not quite sure I fol-"

"Save us the bullshit, Hadrian," Deneve cut in. "We know of your family. We know the Organization killed your wife. We know you have a daughter, and we know the Organization took her."

"Oh, really? And how did you find this information? The Organization's records? No, you must have heard it from someone. An old story passed around the campfire?" He sounded a bit like he had let the beer get to him.

Both Miria and Deneve glared at him in silence.

"Could it be... Galatea? Yes, that's it. She's the one. Clever girl, that-"

"Is the story true or not?" Miria sternly said. She crossed her arms.

"What does it matter to you?" Hadrian's lighthearted demeanor somberly changed. A businesslike air filled the room as his tone changed.

"I make a point of knowing who I am allied with. If I do not know you, how can I trust you?" Miria said.

"You know me enough. I've already told you my intentions-to destroy the Organization. Are the reasons not obvious enough?"

"You obviously hate the Organization, but if you were just like any other awakened being, you'd have little drive to destroy the Organization.

"Here's the real truth: you seek vengeance for your wife, and the answers to your daughter's whereabouts lie with the Organization. You intent to find her."

Just as she finished, Galatea and Tabitha stormed into the pub.

"Yes?" a slightly agitated Miria asked.

"Sorry to disturb your lovely conversation, but we have a bit of a situation brewing outside the city."

"How many?" Miria hurriedly asked.

"Several Claymores, two of them single digits."

"Helen and Deneve, Go ahead and check it out. See what they are looking for." Miria turned to Hadrian as the two walked out the door.

"They're headed for the mass," Hadrian said with a faint smile. He looked up at Miria with smug eyes.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Other than the fact that they are on the east side of the city, moving in a deliberate path towards it? Just a hunch."

Miria sneered at him and stormed outside. _It doesn't matter,_ she thought._ They are victims of the Organization and deserve to be told the truth about their employers. _

She met up with Tabitha, Cynthia, and Yuma and hurried for the eastern gate.

* * *

"So, Hadrian, what are you going to do?" Galatea asked him in the alehouse.

"About the Claymores? I have every confidence that Miria will be able to handle the situation. She is a natural leader, after all."

"That she is. How much evidence does she have at her disposal, though? Besides you, she has little, if any, proof that the Organization is as evil as she makes it out to be. " She walked over and sat down across from him.

"You want me to go help her."

"It would certainly bolster our forces."

"And we are at war, aren't we? Galatea, there is something that you should understand. I'm surprised you don't already.

"The Organization cannot be fought and killed like an awakened being. It cannot be removed by martial might.

"The Organization is a monstrous entity-it absorbs ruin and destruction and always claws its way back into existence. Every single time the Organization has been thought to be destroyed, they have come back into a thriving business.

"No-this is an enemy that has to be fought with sabotage, with moral. Kill the people involved, and they are easily replaced, even the council members. Kill its spirit, its willingness to continue living, and we can grind the Organization into the dust."

"Its willingness to live?" Galatea perplexedly asked.

"Every consortium with a goal like the Organization is driven by just that: a goal. There is only two ways to stop something like this. They either accomplish the goal, or it becomes impossible. In this case, the Organization's goal is to create perfect soldiers to combat descendents of dragons and possibly, dragons themselves. If we can stop the Organization from creating the perfect warrior, we win."

"You think we can master our yoki auras so as to not awaken. Or so that we can awaken with our consciousness intact."

Hadrian nodded. His eyes were level with hers, and blind though she was, Galatea sensed his gaze and nodded back. He said nothing and walked out the door on to the Claymores gathered outside the city.


End file.
